The Spartans: The World Of The Warrior-Heroes Of Ancient Greece

Paul Cartledge. The Spartans: The World of the Warrior-Heroes of Ancient Greece, from Utopia to Crisis and Collapse. New York: Peter Mayer Publishers, 2003 Paul Cartledge is a scholar and historian who commands great respect. His first general book written on the Spartans. He is known by (The Times) as “the world’s leading expert on Sparta”. The Spartans takes you through times in Ancient Greece that have helped influence western history. Charmingly he thoroughly analyzes the rise and fall of a powerful and unique civilization. The author uses ancient sources, written text as well as archaeological artifacts, twenty-seven illustrations and four maps, to show you their strengths, battles, and how the Spartan women had a commanding influence …show more content…
What else can we talk about? Why is there so much media coverage on them? Paul Cartledge answers all the questions for you. He gives you a timeline stretching from 2000BC to 14AD covering the Middle Bronze Age till the death of Augustus showing events in their history and key turning points as well as battles and the deaths of their legends. Paul Cartledge gives you focus and clarity, breaking the history of Spartan Life chronologically focusing between 480 to 360 BC, the main focus period in the book. The book has chapters broken into Part I, Early Sparta leading into the Persian Wars. Part II, Women and Religion going into The Athenian War. Part III, The Spartan Empire fall and decline also The legacy: Leonidas Lives! Appendix is included Hunting: Spartan style giving you more information about Greek life in general and influences other cultures and civilization’s around the same time as the Spartans from Greek hunting to Greek literature and the end of the Athenian War and the enslavement of slaves. You also get a glance into the Hellenistic world and Roman times. Paul Cartledge has included his notes referencing from ancient sources